BOGOTA, Colombia — US Vice President Mike Pence and Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido agreed on a strategy to tighten the noose around President Nicolas Maduro following a meeting with regional allies in Colombia on Monday. However, the Lima Group rejected the use of force to achieve a democratic transition. Guaido, the 35-year-old leader of Venezuela's National Assembly, declared himself acting president in January after the opposition-controlled legislature concluded that Maduro was fraudulently re-elected. Pence also invited Lima Group members to transfer assets of Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA to Guaido to keep them away from "Maduro's inner circle." 'No consensus'Bolivia's President Evo Morales, a Maduro ally, called on the Lima Group to "seek a solution through dialogue."

Source: Philippine Star February 26, 2019 01:37 UTC